The Lion Tamer
By Chase Wiley
There once was a lion tamer
Who stood so tall and stout
He had a self-confidence to him that left no room for self-doubt
Or so you thought when he performed
He was a lion tamer after all, an occupation not of the norm
For the lion he tamed, lived inside of a cage deep within his heart
But the lion was not tamed and was not at all afraid of the tamer’s practiced art
So, the lion played along,
he’d dance to the tamer’s songs
and would lay on his back on count.
But when the water stopped running
the lion was cunning
and he waited for his moment to pounce.
But this wasn’t a regular lion who feasted on blood, flesh, and bones
This was a lion who pushed the heart to take a stand in the face of God’s Tests
he pushed the tamer’s limits to the unknown.
“That woman needs your help!” “That man dropped his wallet!” “That cat is stuck in a tree!”
But the lion tamer pushed the lion back in his cage and asked,
“But what does that have to do with me?”
And so went on the inner struggle for who would dominate
The lion tamer always had his hands full with the lion
who never stopped reminding him of his mistakes
For the lion tamer wasn’t afraid of the lion, either, for the lion had no teeth
The lion tamer was afraid of failure, expectations he felt he’d not meet
So, you may see the lion tamer center stage
Entertaining the crowd at a circus
But what you don’t see are his bruises under his shallow
smile steady searching for its purpose.
No Comments